The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, explained the content of the letter sent to Georgia, which includes specific recommendations, with the deadline for their implementation set for the end of August.

Kallas outlined several points from the letter. As for the EU’s response in case the recommendations are not fulfilled, she stated that there will be consequences so that the public can see that the government is not on a European path and does not take the candidate status seriously.

Specifically, according to Kallas, there are recommendations that were shared with Georgia in the visa suspension report.

“As for the letter sent to Georgia: as you know, visa-free travel has been in place for Georgia since 2017. This is a major benefit the EU provides to countries, and accordingly, there are recommendations that were given to Georgia in the visa suspension report. I won’t read it all here, but I will highlight a few things.

For example, obligations that the Georgian government has — to ensure and protect the fundamental rights of all Georgian citizens, including freedom of assembly and expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs, and also the prohibition of discrimination — that’s just one point. There are eight more like that. So, since they were given this ‘deadline’ until the end of August to implement them, the question is — what will we do if the recommendations are not followed? And when we hear, for example, that 7 out of 8 opposition leaders were imprisoned, that does not align with the first point I mentioned.

Up to now, our position has been that we don’t want to harm the Georgian people by suspending visa-free travel, which is truly important to them. However, at the same time, this is also a matter of the EU’s credibility. If we have certain expectations and this is a benefit — a bonus — given to a country that doesn’t meet the conditions, then there will be consequences, so that the public sees the government is not on a European path and is not taking the candidate status seriously,” Kallas stated.